WÆE is the name of a new band formed by Mikael Carlsson (The Honeydrips) and Mathias Nilsson (Twig) who are supposedly going for a dub/black-metal sound according to this article, but in actuality are just playing the same old low-key twee you'd expect, albeit with a bit of extra delay and some shitty, trebly distortion. Listen to the duo's debut EP "Resa till mark" at their website: http://waee.tumblr.com/
The Honeydrips bid farewell with a cover of the old Swedish evergreen "Höstvisa": http://www.sincerelyyours.se/yours0143.php
Music blog Eardrums Music netlabel is now, at long last, done with their new compilation and have posted it for free download: http://www.eardrumspop.com/releases-2/
The title of the collection is "Between two waves", an allusion to the theme: every single track, every illustration is a collaboration between two artists. Many many Scandinavian artists took part, including Boy Omega, My Little Pony, The Honeydrips, Dylan Mondegreen, Solander, We Are Soldiers We Have Guns and lots more.
Here are the winners of the 2008 Manifest Award, Sweden's alternative Grammy:
Rhythm: Kapten Röd - Stjärnorna finns här (SwingKids/Border)
Pop/Electronica: The Honeydrips - Here Comes The Future (Sincerely Yours/Playground Music)
Rock/Rockabilly/Blues/Garage: High Hats - Too Much Is Never Enough (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)
Hardrock/Metal: Dark Tranquillity - Fiction (Century Media/EMI)
Hiphop/R&B/Soul: Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande (Juju Records/Playground Music)
Experimental: Rolf Enström - Quarks (Caprice Records/CDA)
Dance: The Field - From here we go sublime (Kompakt)
Folk/Ballad: Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Jazz: Ludvig Berghe Trio - An unplayed venue (Moserobie Music Production/Bonnier Amigo)
Synth: Terror Punk Syndicate - Extended Playtime (Progress Productions/Border Music)
Punk/Hardcore: Wolfbrigade - Prey to the world (Agipunk/Unrest/MCR/Sound Pollution)
Singer/Songwriter: Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
Best Live Artist: Säkert!
Digfi-prize (unsigned act): Emily McWilliam's Desert Soul (Stockholm)
The nominees for this year's Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy, have been announced:
Rhythm:
Kapten röd - Stjärnorna finns här (SwingKids/Border)
Million stylez - From a far (Bonnier Music/Bonnier Amigo)
Governor Andy – Underhållningsmaskinen (KBC Music/Border)
Livelihood - Sagans Sånger (SwingKids/Border)
Pop/Electronica:
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Service/Border)
The Honeydrips - Here Comes The Future (Sincerely Yours/Playground Music)
Erik de Vahl - Oh! My Spine
The Mary Onettes - The Mary Onettes (Labrador/Border)
Rock/Rockabilly/Blues/Garage:
Murder by Guitar - On Parade (Human audio recordings/Sounds of Subterrania)
Maharajas - In Pure Spite (Low Impact Recordings/Sound Pollution)
Alex Face - Smell Like A Woman (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)
High Hats - Too Much Is Never Enough (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)
Hardrock/Metal:
Arch Enemy - Rise of the tyrant (Century Media/EMI)
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction (Century Media/EMI)
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' in a casket (Gain/Sony BMG)
Watain - Sworn to the dark (Season Of Mist/Sound Pollution)
Hiphop/R&B/Soul:
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande (Juju Records/Playground Music)
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing (K-Werks/Border)
Ken - Äntligen hemma (Pope/Playground Music)
Basutbudet - Startpaketet/Pluspaketet (Devrim/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
Experimental:
Jean-Louis Huhta - Halfway Between the World and Death (Slottet Records/Dotshop.se)
Mårten Falk - Eclectric Guitar Experience (dB Productions/CDA)
Rolf Enström - Quarks (Caprice Records/CDA)
Tape & Minamo - Birds of a Feather (Headz/Dotshop.se)
Dance:
Mikael Stavöstrand - Various productions 2007
The Field - From here we go sublime (Kompakt)
Minilogue – Orglar (Minilogue Rec)
Hug - Heroes (Kompakt)
Folk/Ballad:
Ale Möller Band - Djef Djel (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Various Artists - Poem, ballader och lite blues - Återbesöket (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Lisa Rydberg och Gunnar Idenstam - Bach på svenska (Gazell Records AB/Bonnier Amigo)
Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Jazz:
Ludvig Berghe Trio - An unplayed venue (Moserobie Music Production/Bonnier Amigo)
e.s.t. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) - e.s.t Live in Hamburg (ACT/Bonnier Amigo)
Adåker, Milder, Stenson, Danielsson, Öström - Miles by Five (Touché Music AB/CDA)
Lennart Åberg & Norrbotten Big Band - Up north (Caprice Records/CDA)
Synth:
Emmon - The art and the evil (Wonderland records)
Endless Shame - Price of Devotion (KTOWN Records/Misty Music)
Mr Jones Machine – Återvändsgränd (Progress Productions/Border Music)
Terror Punk Syndicate - Extended Playtime (Progress Productions/Border Music)
Punk/Hardcore:
Wolfbrigade - Prey to the world (Agipunk/Unrest/MCR/Sound Pollution)
The Accidents - Summer dreams (Burning Heart/Epitaph/Bonnier Amigo)
Auktion - Spader ess (Cage Match Federation/Border)
The Mockingbirds - Always late and not even close (HepTown Records/Sound Pollution)
Singer/Songwriter:
Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
Kristofer Åström - Rainaway Town (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
José González - In Our Nature (Imperial/Playground Music)
Mattias Bärjed - Originalmusiken till Upp till kamp! (Razzia/Bonnier Amigo)
Best Live Artist:
Familjen
Säkert!
Maia Hirashawa
Laakso
Digfi-prize (unsigned act):
Cocoanut Groove (Umeå)
Emily McWilliam's Desert Soul (Stockholm)
Cartwall (Piteå)
Knivderby (Jönköping)
Read more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/122.aspx
Pitchfork adds The Honeydrips to their recommended list: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/47401-here-comes-the-future
See our own review of said album right here
Swedish artists making this year's Pitchfork top 100 tracks of the year list: Air France (#89), Studio (#55), The Honeydrips (#45), Sally Shapiro (#39), The Tough Alliance (#34), The Field (#19) and Jens Lekman (#15). Read more: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/47681-staff-list-top-100-tracks-of-2007
Sincerely Yours is offering up "Hej då Karolin" from The Honeydrips as a free download single: http://www.sincerelyyours.se/yours0064.html
I imagine that this is an updated version of "Ah Karolin", their cover of the "Emmanuel" theme?
Skatterbrain's favorite albums of the year includes quite a few Scandinavian titles such as The Honeydrips, Cats On Fire, Celestial and Club 8: http://skatterbrain.org/2007/12/skatterbrains-top-15-of-2007-woo-hey.html
Pitchfork does the Forkcast thing with a b-side from The Honeydrips: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/45197-the-honeydrips-fall-from-a-height-the-field-way-stream
Maracas! Strobe lights! Glow sticks! Noisemakers! A bubble machine! A glowing orb fake microphone! And a dysfunctional smoke machine - these were to be the tools of The Tough Alliance for the night. After a great opening set by The Honeydrips, they took the stage like two madmen, dancing and singing/miming along to "Something special" from their new album "New chance". With all the toys for the group to play with, the objects, along with drinks from the crowd, were all being passed around the stage area while the ecstatic crowd encroaching closer as each moment passed by. When "First class riot" began, the crowd went absolutely nuts, singing as loud as they could and probably making the people at the bar upstairs wishing they were downstairs. The band's engergy far surpassed that exerted by the crowd, obviously driven by the packed venue. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got in return was easily the best show I've been to all year and my brother, who was also in attendance, agreed with me. Other than the few confused audience members standing cross-armed and bewildered, the crowd was dancing and singing along and really having a damn good time. After all, we go to shows to be entertained, and with The Tough Alliance, that's just what you get.
- Matt Giordano
Indie MP3 with their take on last week's Tack!Tack!Tack! show featuring The Tough Alliance and The Honeydrips: http://www.indie-mp3.co.uk/2007/07/tough-alliancethe-honeydrips-tack-tack.html
Note the bullshit-detector comments.
Tack!Tack!Tack! will play host to a Sincerely Yours label night when they welcome back The Tough Alliance plus guests The Honeydrips at the Social in London on July 2. Will TTA do more than "perform" to their CD? Wait and see.
The Honeydrips have previously released material quite sporadically, in the shape of CDRs, mp3s and seven-inches. I've enjoyed their songs and I really wanted this album to sweep me off my feet and let me taste a slice of indie pop heaven. Unfortunately, it's not exactly heavenly although it is quite good. The album's very much a product of the time and place where it was made (i.e. Sweden in 2006-07), which I think is a very good thing. Even though I miss some great standout tracks (such as "The trouble with the neo-Nazis"), it's a nice album with cosy songs, ok lyrics, and bits of sampled movie dialogue that, all in all, helps to create a warm and fuzzy atmosphere.
- Simon Tagestam